- a rather good first attempt
Bestechman is a new brand and their first model was this knife called the Dundee. It seems to be successful and it was followed up with another model released in the days and I predict it will not stop there. I base that opinion both on experiences from this knife and the general direction many companies in the knife industry are heading towards. By that I mean big brands branching out into sister brands to cover a bigger part of the market. This is another example of that. Not unexpectedly, Chinese Bestech is found behind Bestechman. Thus, the brand is new but not the company.
Dundee is a knife that, according to the presentation text, is based on "Simplicity, utility and materials suitable for budget-friendly EDC tool." Without giving too much away, I think they succeeded.
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| Bestechman Dundee |
To achieve this goal, Bestechman hired the Polish designer Ostap Hel. In addition to this model, he has also made knives for the parent brand Bestech and designed products for both Civivi and WE but also for Kansept Knives and Real Steel. So the routine and know-how are there when it comes to collaborations with large knife manufacturers.
Like many other modern knives, this knife has been available in several versions right from the start. In this case, it mostly means that you can choose the G10 in different colors and a blade that is either black or in a satin finish. In addition to that, Bestechman released a limited edition with a two-tone blade. However, according to the website, that version is sold out.
This specific version is, however, an exclusive version made in the same spirit as, for example, Spyderco usually achieves in collaboration with a retailer. This knife, therefore, has a brown handle which is/was unique to Dutch Knife & Tools and that is therefore where this knife comes from.
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| Dundee in a limited edition with a brown handle |
Twitter version: Bestechman Dundee offers capable materials and an excellent design. A knife that is interesting even if it has some small flaws.
Blade
In that area, this knife is said to be inspired by the famous movie knife that gave it its name. The commonality probably mostly consists of both having some form of a clip-point blade, but that's where the similarities end. However, this variant is very attractive. The blade is slender with a very long cut part and the appearance is enhanced by a tapering fuller or blood groove as we for some strange reason say in Swedish. The spine of the blade has received a series of grooves for better grip.
The blade length is 85 mm and it must be set in relation to a height that at the blade base amounts to 23 mm. The thickness is 3.2 mm. The finish in this version is satin with discreet branding. Ostap Hel design and D2 can be read on one side and the Bestechman logo can be found on the presentation side.
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| A slim clip point that could possibly be said to be a Bowie with a good imagination has given the knife its name |
The material is D2, which by now has become a classic among the steels found in budget knives. This is an interesting development as not too many years ago it was considered a fairly exclusive steel. It is not stainless but otherwise quite capable. Of course, this still applies even if I personally prefer other steels considering that it can get stains and that it is not completely easy to grind.
That said, I haven't experienced any corrosion on the Dundee. Furthermore, it can be said that the factory edge on this knife was decent without being ultra-sharp. It passed the usual tests such as cutting paper and shaving hair, albeit with some pressure. I can anticipate those who say "any knife can cut paper", in principle it is true but the way they do it and the sound the blade makes when it hopefully slides through the paper says something. In this case, it helps to say that the knife, like most modern folding knives, is too thick behind the edge.
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| The steel choice fell on D2 |
In this case, it amounts to approx. 0.6-0.7 mm. Good if it's a fixed survival-type" knife. A bit of overkill when it comes to a small folding EDC knife.
The result is, as expected, that some detailed work will suffer. This definitely applies if you intended to use the knife to cut vegetables. Now folding knives are generally lousy in that regard so it matters less but it gives an indication of how the knife behaves in general.
Cardboard and plastic, on the other hand, can be massacred quite easily. A sharp edge and a high flat grind go a long way. I can't imagine heavier work with this knife. The handle is both too slim and flimsy to be something I want to use to cut wood other than a twig to use as a barbecue stick on a picnic.
Handle
Besides the obvious, color mentioned in the introduction, the material actually differs between the original model and this knife. This handle is made of Micarta instead of G10. However, it is a fairly smooth Micarta. Almost polished when I think about it. The sides have then been heavily beveled both at the top and bottom, which makes them almost feel 3D sculpted.
The shape is deceptively simple, but you can feel in the hand that it has been thought out. The handle is 11.8 cm long, 2.25 cm high, and 1.1 cm thick. It is slim, in other words.
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| The handle material is brown, and very smooth Micarta in this version |
The steel frame is elegantly recessed into the handle sides, which are then screwed into place in an ingenious way. Apart from the obvious pivot screw, only the two retaining screws for the clip hold the knife together. There is only one distance in the back which is otherwise completely open. Then there is also a bolt on the inside of the handle for attaching a lanyard. Otherwise, the inside is completely smooth and thus easy to keep clean.
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| The construction is ultra-open if that is an expression |
The question is whether it is the choice of material or the construction that contributes to one of the knife's few disadvantages, that it can be made to flex quite a lot. Thankfully not when using the knife. In any case, not for less onerous assignments, tasks that a typical EDC knife might need to handle. However, if you squeeze it. With sheer finger strength, I can press the sides together so much that they almost meet in the blade slot and on the spine. If I use two hands, I can get the sides together completely. It's not optimal.
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| Unfortunately, the result is that the knife flexes a lot. The sides of the handle can be pressed together with finger force. If I add a little more pressure I can make them meet |
The advantage of this simple shape of handles is that they fit most people. It could possibly be objected that they generally do not provide the best traction and that also applies in this case. It's a very straight handle. But the size means that both large and small hands can fit and the soft shapes do not cause unnecessary pressure or hot spots. It becomes particularly clear with the rounded rear end and the rather flat clip.
For that reason, the knife is very comfortable to hold in a saber grip. That the grip works well becomes obvious when the back end of the handle is placed inside the hand to provide extra support when stabbing something like stubborn plastic packaging, for example. Hammer grip also works perfectly, even if the knife can then feel somewhat thin in this grip. A taller handle would have been better in that case. In return, you get a handle that is easy to change grips on and can also be used in both reverse grips and when using a pinch grip.
It can be summed up as the handle is really good for lighter tasks but not something I want on an outdoor knife. But Dundee wasn't meant to be one either.
Opening and Lock
For a knife in this price range, the Dundee has an extremely smooth action. Certainly, the knife has ball bearings, but it is easily opened even to be equipped with such. This means that the knife needs very little force to open, with the blade also closing under its own weight when the lock is disengaged. In other words, you better keep your fingers out of the way.
Otherwise, the knife is preferably opened with the flipper tab. But because of how easy this one is to open, it can be done with two hands even though almost none of the blade is visible when the knife is closed.
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| The flipper tab is triangular and also very good |
One problem with this model, or at least this particular knife, is that the detent ball is very weak. Or rather, that it sometimes is. It's like it doesn't click into place every time the knife is closed. This means that it mostly stays in the closed position and then it is secure and the blade can't be gravity opened.
But sometimes it is possible to flick the knife open without much effort. Therefore, the feeling is that it cannot really be trusted. Unfortunately, it also applies to a more important function.
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| The lock is ok when the lock bar engages that is. The knife must be opened hard for you to be sure of it |
A liner lock in steel is hardly revolutionary. But that's exactly why it's a good choice for a more budget-oriented knife. IF it works, that is. In this case, it almost does. By that, I mean that once the lock bar is in place, the function is good. It can at least handle lighter "spine whack" or pressure against the blade spine. It does not slide under normal load and any play in the blade is not an issue. Several desirable properties in other words.
But and it's a BUT with capital letters, it only applies if you flip the knife open hard enough. Otherwise, the lock simply does not engage. It may be that it only applies to my knife but that is the case. If the knife is opened hard, you have a lock. If it is opened too slowly or with two hands, you don't.
To Carry
The Dundee is simply a very easy-to-carry knife. It is slim, fairly thin, and above all, very light. Although the steel frame is not lightened, it weighs in at around 95g. That's not much, especially for a knife with an eight-and-a-half-centimeter blade.
When it is then paired with almost polished Micarta, the result can only be one.
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| The clip is mounted to carry the knife on the right side with the tip up but can be repositioned |
Once in the pocket, the Dundee sits quite deep and is therefore difficult to lose and is also quite discreet even though the clip itself is shiny.
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| Although the clip is recessed into the side and has flat screws, there isn't much space underneath it |
The clip is simple but functional and made of spring steel. The tension is good and despite the extremely low ramp and the sparingly sized space under the clip, it works on regular trouser pockets and jeans. Bringing the clip over thicker fabrics is not entirely easy, but once there the knife sits in place after all.
The clip itself is recessed in the side of the handle and the screw heads are flat, which are nicely executed details. Then the clip can be shifted from the right to the left side for those who wish.
To Conclude
There are movie knives and there are movie KNIVES. Among the latter category can be counted those who appear in Rambo and Crocodile Dundee. So when you name a folding knife after such a famous model, certain expectations arise. Some come to shame, not least as the Dundee is a very normal EDC knife, which concretely means that it is not very large.
But what Ostap Hel and Bestechman have succeeded in is creating a nice knife. The design language is very consistent and there are more details to consider than many other similarly priced knives. Examples of that are how nicely the clip is recessed into the side and not least how the lines in the blade are mirrored both at the front end of the handle and how the flipper acts as an extension of those angles. It is very tastefully done. Also, the way in which the rear end of the handle has been given an extra chamfer to round it off is an appreciated detail.
Add to that a knife with good handling. The knife is very easy to open and the lock easy to release, maybe even a little too easy as I said.
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| Bestechman Dundeeis a very stylish and reasonably practical EDC knife |
Then there were the other less good qualities. The Bestechman Dundee suffers from the same problem that was discovered when Benchmade released its Bugout and occurs if you make a knife too light in relation to construction and materials. Then unwanted flexing can occur. However, that didn't stop that knife from being a success. It probably shouldn't do that in this case either, as it's not directly a practical problem. That's because the flex itself doesn't propagate to the blade or feel lateral. It is the center of the handle that can be squeezed together so much that they almost meet with finger force alone. Thus, it is not a concern if the knife is used in its intended role as a lighter EDC knife. But the feature is there and does not inspire confidence, and if you know that it will annoy you, you should look at another knife.
Something I find to be more serious is that the lock does not engage as securely as I would like. However, it works the overwhelming majority of the time, especially if you know the knife and thus choose to open it a little harder. But I don't think the user should have to think along these lines.* If there are locks, they should lock every time the knife is opened, without exception.
Otherwise, the Dundee belongs to those knives that are extremely easy to carry on one's person. On the first visual inspection, I was afraid that the clip was too tightly positioned against the handle, but that was not the case. It works great even if the ramp is a little too low for the thickest fabrics.
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| After all, Dundee is a nice knife and at least I'm curious about what Bestechman might release in the future |
Overall, Dundee is not a bad first effort by Bestechman. The look is there, the details are interesting and the function is good, but there are also some shortcomings to work on as I said. It is possible that they fixed similar mistakes already on the next knife. There is a reason for me to return to Bestechman.
Especially as Bestechman is another contender in the class which is otherwise dominated by brands such as Sencut and it feels like they could use some competition.
Specifications:
Length Overall: 205 mm
Length Folded: 120 mm
Weight: 85 g (vägd av mig)
Blade Length: 84 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,2 mm
Blade Steel: D2
Handle: Micarta
Lock: Liner lock
Produced by: Bestech, made in China
/ J
* But I like the Dundee so much that I intend to spend some time disassembling the knife and bending the lock bar to see if the increased pressure solves the problem.
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